The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-06-17
mobiles to his table; George entertained the

OF Turkey to his feast; the emperor of Gel
many was glad to have our minister, Geore
Bancroft, sitdown with him at his table; Bu
Tell me, ye who know most OF the worlds hi
tory, what other king ever asked the abar
doned, and the forlorn, and the wretched, an
the outcast TO come and sit down beside him
Oh, wonderful invitationl You can take
to-day and stand ut the head OF the darkes
alley in all this city and say: "Come! C,othe
Tor your rags, salve for your sores, thron
for your eternal reigning" A Christ tina
talks like that, and acts'like that, and pardon
ike that-do you wonder that Stephen stoo,
looking at himl bope to spend eternity dc
ing the same thing. Unjust see him. mus
look upon that face, once clouded with my sil,
but now radiant with my pardon want t.
touch that hand that knocked of my
shackles want to hear that voice which
pronounced my deliverance. Behold him
little children, for If you live to three score
years and ten you will see none SO fair, Be
hold him, We aged ones, for he only can shine
through the dimness Of your failing eyesight.
Behold him. earth; behold him, heaven
What moment when all the nations OF the
saved shall gather around Christ! All faces
that way; all thrones that way, gazing on
Jesus.
His worth. If all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
Ipass on now, and look at Stephen stoned.
The world has always wanted to get rid OF
good men. Their very life is an assault upon
wickedness. Out with Stephen through the
gates of the city. Down with him over the
precipices. Let every man come up and drop
a stone upon his head. But these men did not
SO much kill Stephen as they killed them.
selves. Every stone rebounded upon them.
While these murderers were transfxed by the
scorn of all good men, Stephen lives in the
admiration of all Christians Stephen stoned;
but Stephen alive. So all good men must be
pelted. All who will live godly in Christ
Jesus must suffer persecution. 1t isno eulogy
Of man to say that everybody likes him.
Show me any one who is doing all his duty to
state or church and will show you scores Of
men who utterly abhor him.
If all men speak well of you 1t is because
you are either a laggard or dolt II
steamer makes rapid progress through the
waves the water will boil and foam all around
it. Brave soldiers of Jesus Christ will hear
the carbines click. When see man with
voice and money and influence all on the
right side, and some caricature him and some
sheer at him and some denounce him, and
men who pretend to be actuated by right
motives conspire to cripple him, to
cast him out, to destroy him, say: "Stephen
stoned" When I see a man in some great
moral or religious reform battling against
grog shops, exposing wickedness in high
places, by active means trying to purify the
church and better the worlds estate, and I
find that the newspapers anathemize him, and
men, even good men, oppose him and de-
nounce him, because, though he does good,
he does not do it in their way, Isay: "Stephen
stoned" The world, with infinite spite, took
after John Frederick Oberlin, and Robert
Motfat, and Paul, and Stephen of the text.
But you notice, my friends, that while they
him they did not succeed really in
killing him. You may assault good man,
but you cannot kill him. On the day of his
leath, Stephen spoke before few people in
5he Sanhedrim; this Sabbath morn he ad-
lresses all Christendom. Paul, the apostle,
food on Mars Hill addressing handful of
who knew not so much about
'cience modern school girl. To-day he
;alks to all the millions Of Christendom about
The wonders of justification and the glories
IF resurrection. John Wesley was howled
iown by the mob to whom he preached, and
they threw bricks at him, and they denounced
lim, and jostled him, and they spat upon him,
and yet to-day, in all lands, he is admitted to
De the great father of Methodism. Booths
bullet vacated the presidential chair, but
from that spot of coagulated blood on the
floor in the box of Ford's theatre there sprang
up the new life of q nation. Stephen stoned:
out Stephen alive.
Pass on now, and see Stephen in his dying
prayer. His first thought was not how the
stones hurt his head, nor what would become
If his body. His first thought was about his
spirit. "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" The
murderer standing on the trap door, the
black cap being drawn down over his head
before the execution, may grimace about the
uture; but you and l have no shame in con-
essing some anxiety about where we are 60
pg to come out You ore not all body. There
S within you q soul. / see it CLEAN from your
yes today, and 1 see it irradiating your coun-
enance Sometimes I am abashed before an
not because come under your ply
ical eyesight, but because realize the truth |
hat stand before so many immortal spirits.
The probability is that your body will at last |
ind sculpture in some of the cemeteries that |
urround this city. There is no dohbt but |
hat you will will be able to pillow your head |
Inder the maple, or the Norway spruce, or
he cypress, or the poisoning fir; but this
pirit about which Stephen prayed, what
Erection will that takes What guide will |
scort it, What gate will open to receive
/? What cloud will be cleft for its pathway?
After it has got bevond the light of our sun,
viii there be torches lighted for it the rest of
be way? Will the soul have to travel
trough long deserts before it reaches the
God land? If we should lose our pathway,
Vill there be a castle at whose gate we may
SIX the way to the citys o, this mysterious
pirit within us! 1t has two wings, but it is
4 a cage now. It is locked fast to keep It;
ut let the door Of this cage open the least,
nd that soul is off. Eagles wing could not
atch it. The lghtnings are not swift enough
} take up with it. When the soul leaves the
ody it takes fifty worlds at bound. And
ave no anxiety about its Have you no
nxiety about it9 I do not care what you do
18th my body when my soul is gone, or
neither you believe in cremation or inhuma-
on. l shall sleep just as well in wrapping
sackcloth as in satin lined with eagles
own. But my soul-before leave this
ouse this morning will find out where it is
ping to land. Thank God for the intimation
my text, that when we die Jesus takes us.
hat answers all questions for me. What
'ough there were massive bars between here
I'D the city Of light; Jesus could remove
lpm What fho,,Uh thoro vyoro yroot Soe |